Su Wei shot Tang Yan a venomous look and said coldly, "I hope I don't see you at the Grand Competition!"

"Stop dawdling like some nagging woman. Hurry up!" Tang Yan urged.

Seeing Tang Yan's face that was practically begging to be punched, Su Wei was so furious he nearly spat blood. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Yao Qian's expression had already sunk like still water. Knowing the City Lord had no wish to remain any longer, he could only steel himself and shout, "Yu City is inferior to Yun City!"

"Two more times! Louder. Did you not eat?" Tang Yan kindly reminded him from the side.

Su Wei's gaze grew even more resentful. Bracing himself, he continued shouting, "Yu City is inferior to Yun City! Yu City is inferior to Yun City!"

"Mountains may not turn, but waters will. We'll meet again at the Grand Competition! Let's go!" Yao Qian flung down those harsh words, turned, and left with a sweep of his sleeve.

Su Wei and the others lowered their heads and hurried after him.

Seeing the people of Yu City leave, everyone present knew that Yun City and Yu City had completely torn away all pretense of civility. At this Eastern Region Grand Competition, the juniors of the two cities were bound to clash fiercely.

But most people still did not think well of Yun City. Now that they had angered Yu City, once Yun City's juniors met Yu City's people, they would surely suffer Yu City's revenge.

The one who felt the most satisfied was naturally Lin Xiao.

Those three shouts from Su Wei had sounded sweeter each time.

Nor did Lin Xiao feel too much pressure. His daughter was already Black Rank Third Grade, and her combat skills had advanced swiftly. Her fighting strength was by no means weak.

After hearing his daughter praise Tang Yan again and again, and then seeing Tang Yan's performance in Absolute Kill Tower, Lin Xiao had even more confidence in Tang Yan's strength.

When the juniors of the two cities exchanged blows, who would be stronger and who would be weaker was still far from certain!

As for Liu Zhi, Lin Xiao did not care much. In his heart, the Liu Family had long since been crossed out. Whether Liu Zhi lived or died no longer mattered greatly.

"This time, you've rendered great merit! But though we won back our face, we've also made a powerful enemy, and you lost three Third Rank Pills besides. You've suffered a grievance." Lin Xiao patted Tang Yan on the shoulder. The more he looked at Tang Yan now, the more pleasing the boy seemed.

"It is only right. Whoever humiliates my Yun City shall be repaid tenfold!" Tang Yan immediately declared.

"Good!" Lin Xiao laughed, exceedingly satisfied with Tang Yan's answer.

"Right, this one is your friend." Lin Xiao pointed to Wan Fei at the side.

Tang Yan looked Wan Fei over curiously. He frowned slightly and asked in puzzlement, "Has this young lady mistaken me for someone else? Have we met?"

"Pfft!" Lin Xiao nearly spat blood when he heard this. This brat was actually saying he had never met her?

Then what was the matter with her placing two hundred thousand taels of silver on him?

"Benefactor, this is my elder sister." Chang Ying came over from the side and hurriedly explained.

Seeing Chang Ying, Tang Yan immediately recalled the Mercenary he had met at Cangyun Mountain. He then studied Wan Fei carefully again. An oval face, willow brows and apricot eyes, alluring red lips touched with both wildness and competence-she did seem a little familiar.

"Auntie?" Tang Yan asked tentatively.

Wan Fei, who had still been smiling a moment ago, instantly exploded at this form of address.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

Seeing the furious Wan Fei pounce at him with claws bared, Tang Yan was so startled he immediately dodged aside and hurriedly explained, "Auntie, listen to me. I truly didn't realize it was you. Auntie, don't be rash. If you have something to say, we can talk it over..."

Only after Tang Yan coaxed and pleaded for quite a while did Wan Fei finally calm down. Her beautiful eyes glared at him in warning. "Call me Auntie again, and I'll tear your mouth apart!"

"Understood, Auntie."

"I'll kill you!" Wan Fei, who had only just settled down, erupted once more. Her pair of delicate fists rained down toward Tang Yan.

"Fine, fine, I was wrong! I was wrong!" Tang Yan begged for mercy again.

As for Wan Fei's appearance, Tang Yan felt rather wronged in his heart. The last time he had seen Wan Fei, this girl had just gone through a fierce battle. She had been in a miserable state, her pretty face smeared with blood, mud, and grime, her hair in disarray. Calling her Auntie had not been too much at all.

But looking at the beauty before him now, several different charms were perfectly blended together, enough to astonish anyone.

Who could have imagined that the two were the same person?

"Benefactor, I knew you were extraordinary! No one has reached the sixth floor of Absolute Kill Tower for seven years, yet not only did you enter the sixth floor, you even cleared it!" Chang Ying said excitedly.

"I merely happened to pass by chance. It was mainly luck. If I had relied on strength alone, it truly would not have worked." Tang Yan waved his hand modestly.

After chatting with the two siblings for a while, Tang Yan moved closer to Lin Xiao. "City Lord, when Dongxue goes up later, have her conceal her identity as much as possible. It would be best not to expose Yun City too early."

Lin Xiao agreed with Tang Yan's words. This matter was not difficult for him to arrange, so he had Lin Dongxue find a place to change her appearance.

Before long, Lin Dongxue had disguised her face and clothing to look like an ordinary person. She casually slipped into the crowd and waited to enter Absolute Kill Tower. In this state, she drew no attention at all.

After Liu Zhi entered Absolute Kill Tower, Lin Xiao pulled Tang Yan aside and asked quietly, "Tang Yan, what exactly is on the sixth floor of Absolute Kill Tower? How did you pass it?"

The matter of him devouring the Soul-Refining Fire could not be spread casually. It was best to keep this secret for now.

After weighing his words for a moment, Tang Yan said, "There is a Formation inside that has the effect of Soul Refinement. The closer one gets to the center of the Formation, the more painful it becomes. I stayed in the center for a quarter of an hour, and the door opened on its own."

Lin Xiao did not doubt him. With relief, he said, "Since Soul Refinement is the sixth floor, the pain must not be something ordinary people can endure. And the first five trials are already extremely difficult to pass. At this Eastern Region Grand Competition, boy, perform well and strive for a good ranking!"

"Very well. Dongxue is already Black Rank Third Grade. As long as she can pass the fourth floor, I believe she can also obtain a decent score on the fifth floor," Tang Yan said with a smile.

"Rumble!"

As they were chatting, the sound of a door opening rang out. Everyone's gaze immediately turned upward.

Second floor, eight points!

Seeing this score, a burst of laughter instantly rose from the crowd.

Recently, nearly all those who came here to temper themselves were contestants taking part in the Eastern Region Grand Competition. Every participant was an elite of their city, and very few were eliminated from the second floor.

When they discovered that the person who came out was actually Yun City's number one, mockery flashed through their eyes once more.

Yun City's strength was still as unbearable as before.

Although no one knew why Tang Yan had managed to pass the sixth floor, everyone simply treated it as luck.

Liu Zhi felt even more stifled. He had been slapped several times earlier, and his state of mind had yet to settle. Added to the blow of Tang Yan's result, his emotions had grown even more chaotic.

After entering Absolute Kill Tower, his mind was filled with too many distracting thoughts, and he could not calm himself. Thus, he was blasted out on the second floor.

One hour later.

When Lin Dongxue emerged from Absolute Kill Tower, another uproar swept through the crowd.

"Fifth floor, four points!"

Seeing such a score, the corner of Lin Xiao's mouth lifted in a faint smile.

Lin Dongxue descended from Absolute Kill Tower and paid no attention to the crowd. She quickly left the place. By the time everyone reacted, Lin Dongxue had already vanished without a trace.

Because she had disguised herself, the identity of the person who had come out became a mystery left for the crowd to ponder.

The people of Yun City returned to Myriad Directions Tower to regroup. After Tang Yan greeted Lin Xiao, he went back to his own small courtyard.

There were still eight or nine days left. He had to completely refine the Soul-Refining Fire as quickly as possible.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he took a deep breath. The Supreme Alchemy Scripture and Fire Control Art began circulating at the same time.

The white flame was completely wrapped by the Heaven and Earth Creation Flame. Under the continuous refining, the white radiance gradually faded.

Tang Yan could clearly feel the power of the Heaven and Earth Creation Flame growing stronger.

The color of the flame also became increasingly deep.

Time passed breath by breath. When Tang Yan opened his eyes, starlight shone brilliantly beyond the window. It was already the latter half of the night.